Nouvelles

Murray Brewster · CBC News Canadian queries about Chinese content could be response to American anxiety, says intelligence expert Canada's international trade minister quietly sounded out officials at the Department of National Defence last spring about how much of the content in the navy's new Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships could be sourced back to China, newly released documents reveal. The unusual April request from the office of François​-Philippe Champagne, who was international trade minister at the time, was made as Canadian negotiators were struggling to negotiate a revised North American Free Trade Agreement with the Trump administration — which has become increasingly suspicious of the involvement of Chinese companies in the defence and high-tech sectors. An information note, detailing the answers given to Champagne, was prepared for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and obtained by CBC News under access to information law. "Equipment has been sourced from a variety of manufacturers, many of whom are offshore, with a very limited amount being procured from the People's Republic of China," said the April 4, 2018 briefing prepared by DND's project management office. Chinese steel The briefing made a point of underlining the Canadian content requirements that are part of every major capital project. It noted that 17 per cent of the steel being used to construct the warship — as well as the lifeboats, mooring and towing system components and various pipes and fittings — came from Chinese companies. Champagne was shuffled last summer to the infrastructure portfolio. Officials who worked for him said Wednesday they were not sure what his request was about. Defence and intelligence experts find the inquiry about the warship components curious — and not only because of Washington's growing trade fight with Beijing. The Pentagon has been quietly sounding out allies about who is building their military equipment, both hardware and software. "There's been some concern about this in ... U.S. military circles, about the degree to which there is Chinese ownership of firms working in sensitive areas," said Dave Perry, a procurement expert at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "At a fairly high level, the U.S. (Department of Defence) was concerned about Canada having involvement of firms in defence supply chain that has Chinese angles, Chinese partial ownership." The documents demonstrate how hard it can be to trace the provenance of military parts. One of the firms supplying anchors for the Arctic ships was Apache International Ltd., which has listed itself as a Canadian company with an office in China. Following Champagne's questions, it was determined the original manufacturer of the equipment was Chinese. Wesley Wark, a University of Ottawa professor and one of the country's leading experts on cybersecurity and intelligence, said the Americans' concern relates mostly to electronics and other "warfighting equipment" — not necessarily the nuts and bolts. The U.S. Defence Department's acquisition chief said last summer the Pentagon was developing a so-called "Do Not Buy" list of software that does not meet national security standards. 'A certain xenophobia' Canadian concerns about Chinese product in the Arctic ships could be influenced by American concerns, said Wark, who noted that Canada has struck an independent tone when it comes to trade relations with China and has resisted U.S. and Australian pressure to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei. "Canada has been under intense pressure by the Trump administration to follow the general lead on waging a trade war with China," he said. "There is White House pressure on the Pentagon. The Pentagon has legitimate concerns, like any Western military, about allowing certain elements of Chinese manufactured stuff into its infrastructure." Complicating matters is an almost-forgotten case of alleged espionage that is still grinding its way through the legal system. Chinese-born Qing Quentin Huang, who worked for Lloyd's Register, was charged in 2013 with "attempting to communicate with a foreign entity." He was accused of trying to pass design information about Canada's Arctic ships to the Chinese. Aside from its understandable military and economic policy concerns, Wark said the White House position on China is being driven in part by "a certain xenophobia" that is troubling. "You have to be careful not to find ourselves falling into that American model," he said. "We can make our own distinctions about what might be sensitive or dangerous." https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/chinese-made-equipment-in-canada-s-arctic-ships-under-scrutiny-1.4849562

Les petites entreprises canadiennes sont invitées à mettre au point des solutions innovatrices pour relever neuf nouveaux défis Le 3 octobre 2018 — Ottawa (Ontario) Les petites entreprises et leur capacité d'innover sont le moteur de l'économie du Canada. Parallèlement, le gouvernement fédéral est le plus important acheteur de biens canadiens. Comment le gouvernement peut-il faire en sorte que son pouvoir d'achat aide les petites entreprises à innover et à croître? La réponse à cette question est Solutions innovatrices Canada. Par l'entremise de ce programme, les ministères et organismes invitent les petites entreprises à trouver des solutions novatrices en réponse à des défis particuliers. Les petites entreprises gagnantes peuvent recevoir jusqu'à 150 000 $ pour approfondir leurs activités de recherche-développement. Celles qui atteignent la phase 2 obtiennent jusqu'à 1 million de dollars pour concevoir un prototype fonctionnel. Le gouvernement deviendrait le premier client de ces petites entreprises, ce qui les aiderait à commercialiser leur innovation, à se développer et à créer de bons emplois. Le ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique, l'honorable Navdeep Bains, et la ministre de la Petite Entreprise et de la Promotion des exportations, l'honorable Mary Ng, ont annoncé aujourd'hui neuf défis au nom de la ministre des Services publics et de l'Approvisionnement et de l'Accessibilité, l'honorable Carla Qualtrough, du ministre de l'Agriculture et de l'Agroalimentaire, l'honorable Lawrence MacAulay, du ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, l'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, du ministre de la Sécurité publique et de la Protection civile, l'honorable Ralph Goodale, et du ministre des Transports, l'honorable Marc Garneau. Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada lance le défi suivant aux petites entreprises : 1. Améliorer l'échantillonnage des sols pour le rendre plus facile et améliorer l'exactitude des tests 2. Réduire les coûts de la technologie agricole intelligente pour que les exploitations plus petites puissent l'utiliser La Garde côtière canadienne lance le défi suivant aux petites entreprises : 3. Utiliser le mouvement des navires et les vagues pour réduire la consommation de carburant et le recours à des sources externes d'alimentation électrique Le Service correctionnel du Canada lance le défi suivant aux petites entreprises : 4. Mettre au point une technologie qui empêche les détenus de mener des activités illégales à l'aide d'appareils sans fil 5. Surveiller les signes vitaux des détenus et détecter les urgences médicales pour permettre au personnel d'intervenir plus rapidement 6. Créer un moyen innovateur et rentable de lutter contre la contrebande livrée par drone ou tirées par-dessus les clôtures Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada lance le défi suivant aux petites entreprises : 7. Améliorer la qualité sonore des services d'interprétation à distance de façon que le service ne soit pas interrompu par l'incapacité des interprètes d'entendre les interlocuteurs Services partagés Canada lance le défi suivant aux petites entreprises : 8. un accès Internet haute vitesse aux citoyens et aux employés du gouvernement du Canada qui travaillent ou vivent dans des régions éloignées du pays Transports Canada lance le défi suivant aux petites entreprises : 9. Accélérer l'adoption de technologies efficaces et peu coûteuses pour améliorer la sécurité des piétons et des cyclistes à proximité des véhicules commerciaux Solutions innovatrices Canada est une composante clé du Plan pour l'innovation et les compétences du gouvernement, un plan pluriannuel visant à faire du Canada un leader mondial en matière d'innovation et à préparer les Canadiens à réussir dans l'économie de demain. Citations « Dans les rapports des tables de stratégies économiques, les chefs de file canadiens de l'industrie et de l'innovation nous ont clairement dit que le gouvernement doit utiliser son pouvoir d'achat pour aider les petites entreprises à innover et à devenir plus concurrentielles. C'est exactement ce que nous faisons par l'entremise de Solutions innovatrices Canada. Le gouvernement obtient des produits de qualité, alors que les entreprises prennent de l'expansion et créent de bons emplois de la classe moyenne pour les Canadiens. » — Le ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique, l'honorable Navdeep Bains « Les petites entreprises sont le cœur de l'économie canadienne et emploient plus de 8 millions de personnes très travaillantes. Notre gouvernement est déterminé à aider les petites entreprises à s'établir, à se développer et à conquérir de nouveaux marchés. Solutions innovatrices Canada est un programme exceptionnel qui fait appel aux projets d'approvisionnement du gouvernement pour aider les petites et moyennes entreprises à innover, puis à commercialiser leurs innovations. Je suis impatiente de voir les solutions durables qui seront proposées en réponse à ces défis. » — La ministre de la Petite Entreprise et de la Promotion des exportations, l'honorable Mary Ng « Dans le cadre du programme Solutions innovatrices Canada, nous mettons les petites entreprises innovantes au défi de nous aider à fournir à la population canadienne et aux employés du gouvernement du Canada l'accès aux services dont ils ont besoin, qu'il s'agisse de traductions de grande qualité ou d'un accès Internet haute vitesse amélioré dans les régions éloignées. » — La ministre des Services publics et de l'Approvisionnement et de l'Accessibilité et ministre de Services partagés Canada, l'honorable Carla Qualtrough « L'innovation est un moteur du secteur agricole au Canada. Afin de relever ces défis, les petites entreprises innovatrices peuvent aider les chercheurs spécialisés en agriculture, les petites exploitations agricoles et les usines de transformation à accéder aux outils et aux technologies dont ils ont besoin pour être durables sur le plan environnemental et prospères. Nous nous réjouissons à la perspective de découvrir leurs trouvailles visant à faire avancer le secteur et à créer de bons emplois pour la classe moyenne au Canada. » — Le ministre de l'Agriculture et de l'Agroalimentaire, l'honorable Lawrence MacAulay « Pêches et Océans Canada et la Garde côtière canadienne sont fiers de participer au défi pour l'innovation liée au plastique lancé par Solutions innovatrices Canada. Nous sommes ravis de collaborer avec les entreprises canadiennes pour stimuler l'innovation technologique afin de retirer le plastique de nos océans et de nos voies navigables, et de combattre la pollution plastique dans l'avenir ». — Le ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, l'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson « L'établissement d'un partenariat avec Solutions innovatrices Canada est une excellente occasion de mettre en commun de nouvelles idées qui aident à assurer la sécurité de l'ensemble de la population canadienne. Je salue les idées novatrices qui appuient le mandat de Service correctionnel Canada de contribuer à la sécurité publique en incitant activement et en aidant les délinquants à devenir des citoyens respectueux des lois. » — Le ministre de la Sécurité publique et de la Protection civile, l'honorable Ralph Goodale « Je suis heureux de voir que cette initiative est utilisée pour explorer de nouvelles façons de protéger les usagers de la route vulnérables. Ce programme constitue une excellente occasion d'encourager les petites entreprises à devenir de nouveaux partenaires en matière de sécurité routière en faisant progresser des technologies qui améliorent la sécurité des piétons et des cyclistes. » — Le ministre des Transports, l'honorable Marc Garneau Faits en bref Le financement du programme sera fourni par les 20 ministères et organismes participant au programme Solutions innovatrices Canada. Chaque ministère et organisme met de côté des fonds équivalant à 1 % de ses dépenses combinées d'approvisionnement et de recherche-développement interne faites au cours de l'exercice 2015-2016. Pris ensemble, les fonds des ministères et organismes représentent un investissement annuel de 100 millions de dollars au cours des cinq prochaines années. Les petites entreprises représentent 98 % des entreprises canadiennes et emploient plus de 8 millions de Canadiens vaillants. Solutions innovatrices Canada incite les entreprises détenues et dirigées par des femmes, des Autochtones, des jeunes et des groupes traditionnellement sous-représentés à présenter des soumissions en s'assurant que ces groupes sont inclus dans la planification et les activités de rayonnement. Il existe des centaines de programmes et services qui permettent aux entreprises d'obtenir notamment du financement et des conseils d'experts pour innover, créer des emplois et favoriser la croissance de l'économie canadienne. Gr'ce à son interface utilisateur simple, la nouvelle plateforme d'Innovation Canada permet aux entreprises de raconter leur histoire et d'accéder, en deux minutes environ, à l'information sur les programmes et les services qui leur conviennent le mieux. Liens connexes Défis de Solutions innovatrices Canada Communiqué : Le gouvernement aide les petites entreprises à innover Communiqué : Le gouvernement aide les petites entreprises à concevoir des solutions durables Personnes-ressources Suivez Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada sur Twitter : @ISDE_CA Nilani Logeswaran Attachée de presse Cabinet du ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique 343-291-2849 613-668-1794 Sandra Aubé Directrice des communications Cabinet de la ministre de la Petite Entreprise et de la Promotion des exportations 343-998-5328 Relations avec les médias Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada 343-291-1777 ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca https://www.canada.ca/fr/innovation-sciences-developpement-economique/nouvelles/2018/10/le-gouvernement-met-au-defi-les-petites-entreprises-dinnover.html

By Zacks Equity Research, Zacks.com The Boeing Company BA recently won a $62.7-million contract for providing inspections, Inner Wing Panel (IWP) modifications, and repairs for the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft. Such designated efforts are expected to restore aircraft and IWP service life projections to new design specifications. Work related to the deal will be majorly carried out in Jacksonville, FL; St. Louis, MI; and Lemoore, CA. The entire task related to the deal is expected to get completed in September 2019. The deal was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland. A Brief Note on F/A-18 and E/A-18 Boeing's F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all weather multirole fighter jet. The U.S. Navy's tactical and air superiority aircraft is capable of performing virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. Whereas, the EA-18G Growler is the most advanced airborne electronic attack (AEA) platform, which operates from either an aircraft carrier or from land-bases. What's Favoring Boeing? Boeing, being one of the major players in the defense business, stands out among its peers by virtue of its broadly diversified programs, strong order bookings and solid backlog. Furthermore, the company's expertise lies in programs related to wide variety of aircraft components, repairs and modification works. Considering Boeing's combat-proven aerospace programs and associated services along with the rapidly growing need for military aircraft in light of the enhancing geopolitical uncertainties worldwide, the company witnesses a solid inflow of orders from Pentagon. These contract wins, in turn, boost top-line growth for the company's defense business segment. Evidently, in second-quarter 2018, revenues at the Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) segment, which manufactures military jets like F/A-18, EA-18 Growler and its related components, increased 9% year over year to $5.59 billion. In line with this, we may expect the latest contract win to help this unit deliver similar top-line performance, in coming quarters. Meanwhile, toward the end of June 2018, the U.S. Senate approved the fiscal 2019 defense budget that provisions for major war fighting investments worth $21.7 billion for aircraft. Boeing, being the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States, will surely be a significant beneficiary from the budget, which further includes an investment plan of $2 billion for procuring 24 F/A-18E/F aircraft. Such inclusions reflect solid growth prospects for the BDS segment, which, in turn, are likely to boost Boeing's profit margin. Price Movement Boeing's stock has gained 53.4% in the past 12 months compared with the industry 's growth of 25.1%. The outperformance was primarily led by the robust worldwide demand for its commercial aircraft and military jets. Full article: https://www.nasdaq.com/article/boeing-wins-63m-navy-deal-for-fa-ea-18-aircraft-support-cm1032450

By: Pierre Tran and Vivek Raghuvanshi NEW DELHI and PARIS — Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa defended the decision of India's ruling National Democratic Alliance to buy 36 Rafale fightersfrom France, calling it “a game changer" even as the opposition party criticizes the deal. Addressing annual news conference, Dhanoha said: "At the appropriate level, the Indian Air Force was consulted, but it is for the government to choose. It was decided to buy two squadrons through a government to-government deal, to meet up emergency requirements.” India and France signed the €7.8 billion (U.S. $8.99 billion) inter-governmental agreement Sept. 23, under which 36 Rafale fighter aircraft will be procured from Dassault Aviation for Indian Air Force (IAF) in fly away condition. France will invest 30 percent of the total contract value in India's military aeronautics-related research programs and 20 percent into local production of Rafale components to fulfil the mandatory offsets under the deal. The deliveries of Rafale fighters will start this month. India's main opposition party, Indian National Congress, has claimed on several occasions that the Rafale deal is grossly overvalued and tainted by crony capitalism. The Congress said the Modi government had failed to answer several questions on why public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) had lost the manufacting deal to industrialist Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Ltd. “The earlier deal for 126 medium multirole combat aircraft reached an impasse during negotiations," Dhanoa said,, referring to a $12 billion medium, multi-role combat aircraft program that was launchced in 2007 but scrapped 10 years later. "We had three options: wait for something good to happen, withdraw the global tender and start over again, or do an emergency purchase. We did an emergency purchase.” Dhanoa called the cost of 36 Rafale was “reasonable and adequate." The latest comments from Dhanoa come after Indian defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman called baseless congressional allegations of a reduction in the number of Rafale jets being purchased from France. Congress has demanded the government explain why instead of 126 Rafale fighter jets, only 36 are being purchased if they were cheaper under the NDA deal than the prior deal. Sitharaman is expected to hold the first annual defence ministers dialogue with her counterpart Florence Parly in Paris Oct. 12-13, as the two countries seek to expand bilateral defense and strategic ties. In France, Dassault said the company had picked Reliance as its Indian partner to meet requirements for local offset established by the Indian Defense Procurement Procedure and Make in India policy. The statement followed controversy sparked by remarks by former French president François Hollande, who said the Indian government selected Reliance as the local partner and that the company "had nothing to say on the subject, we had no choice, we took the partner which was presented.” Dassault put out its statement on the deal for 36 Rafale to India Sept, 21 statement, stating that, in accordance with the policy of Make in India, Dassault Aviation decided to make a partnership with India's Reliance Group. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2018/10/03/indian-air-force-chief-defends-rafale-fighter-deal-against-claims-of-crony-capitalism

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has kicked off a major design competition for its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft by releasing a request to industry on Oct. 3 to submit plans that could lead to a chance to build flyable prototypes in just a few years. The service, in June, released a draft solicitation that outlined its intention to get two different helicopter prototypes flying in 2023. The effort is part of the Army's larger move to procure a family of Future Vertical Lift, or FVL, aircraft in the early 2030s, if not sooner. The Army has been talking about procuring an FVL family of helicopters for the better part of a decade and has debated whether to prioritize the pursuit of a medium-lift helicopter to replace UH-60 Black Hawks and AH-64 Apache helicopters. Alternatively, the service was considering buying an armed reconnaissance helicopter to fill the gap left by the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior's 2014 retirement. With the advent of the Army Futures Command and its focus on six modernization priorities, of which FVL is third, progress is being made at lightning speed to make FVL a reality. The service, through an FVL Cross-Functional Team, led by Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, has settled on going after both a long-range assault helicopter and a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraftsomewhat back-to-back. But the FARA procurement plans are fast-paced and lead straight to a winner through a fly-off competition, which deviates from the way the Army has gone about its future medium-lift helicopter development. While the Army collected designs, reviewed them and selected two teams to build prototypes to fly in a Joint Multi-Role technology demonstration for a medium-lift aircraft, the results will simply inform requirements for the Army to move into a program of record where the service will make a determination on how it will compete, build and procure a long-range assault variant of FVL. With the FARA competition, the Army plans to award four to six initial design contracts in June of 2019, and then nine months later — to avoid camping out in the PowerPoint stage — the service will choose up to two designs to move forward in fiscal 2021 with a fly-off planned to start in the first quarter of 2023 (November 2022 to be specific, according to the solicitation). The Army will choose a winner and move forward into a milestone appropriate to advance the procurement of the helicopter, whether that is a technology development phase or engineering and manufacturing development or even a production phase, Rugen told a small group of reporters in an Oct. 3 media roundtable. It all depends on where the technology stands following the fly-off and what phase of the acquisition process the Army will enter once it chooses a winner, Dan Bailey, the Army's JMR-TD director, said in the interview. “The Army currently lacks the ability to conduct armed reconnaissance, light attack, and security with improved stand-off and lethal and non-lethal capabilities with a platform sized to hide in radar clutter and for the urban canyons and mega cities,” the solicitation states. The helicopter would be the “ ‘knife-fighter' of future Army Aviation capabilities” in a small package with “maximized performance,” it describes. The Army doesn't want to carve out requirements in granite, according to Rugen, and intends to be flexible as technology capability unfolds in the program, but the solicitation does state it wants a 40-foot maximum rotor diameter, and the fuselage should also not exceed 40 feet in width. By staying flexible, the Army hopes to steer clear of some of the mistakes it has made in the past attempting to acquire an armed reconnaissance helicopter. The Army failed three times to procure a new aircraft — the most memorable being the cancellation of the Comanche helicopter program in 2004 after two aircraft were built and $6.9 billion was spent. Rugen said the Army also wants to make sure affordability considerations are driven into the program and the designs from the beginning are a top requirement for industry to consider. The Army also wants the designs to incorporate the Improved Turbine Engine Program, or ITEP,engine that is being competitively developed to replace the engines in Black Hawks and Apaches. The Army is close to choosing a winner from two teams designing engines to move into the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program within the next few months. The Army plans to spend approximately $15 million per industry participant in the initial design phase. Participants would receive $8.5 million in FY19 and $6.5 million in FY20. The two participants selected to continue into the prototype phase of the program would receive about $735 million each from FY20 to FY23. Rugen and Bailey said industry interest following the release of the draft solicitation in June has been higher than anticipated and included both industry partners that were not expected and all of those that were. Bailey said that, based on industry interest and participation so far, choosing six designs would be a competitive process because there are more than six possible entrants that have expressed interest in submitting designs. Tim Malia, Sikorsky's program director for FVL light development, told Defense News in a recent interview that the Lockheed Martin-owned company planned to use its X2 technology that is used in its S-97 Raider coaxial helicopter program as the centerpiece to its design offering for the FARA competition. The company is already scaling its X2 technology used in Raider up to a medium-lift aircraft — called the SB-1 Defiant that is participating in the JMR technology demonstration and expected to fly by the end of the year. Malia said it would not be difficult to scale the helicopter from the 34-foot main rotor diameter size of the Raider to the desired 40-foot diameter rotor blades envisioned for FARA. The company has also been working on designs to outfit Raider or any aircraft it builds with X2 technology with the ITEP engine. Sikorsky announced Oct. 3 that its Raider aircraft exceeded 200 knots in a flight test at its West Palm Beach, Florida, flight test center. Bell, which has been flying its V-280 Valor til-trotor helicopter as part of the JMR-TD effort for the better part of a year, continues to hold tight its plans for a design to submit to the FARA competition. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/10/03/us-army-triggers-design-competition-for-future-attack-reconnaissance-helicopter

By ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV: Israel is planning constellations of nano satellites, built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), that will allow almost continuous coverage of “areas of interest,” which are likely to include Iran, Syria, Lebanon and other countries, according to experts that are not connected in any way to the program. IAI refused to comment. The first nano satellite was developed by IAI and was launched into space in 2017 as part of a scientific experiment. The 5-kilogram satellite — approximately the size of a milk carton — is equipped with special cameras able to identify various climatic phenomena, and a monitoring system that allows the choice of areas to be imaged and researched. ”We are developing the capability to launch a constellation of Nano satellites. The large number of satellites will give us the capability for a much higher rate of revisits, and actually a continuous monitoring of areas of interest.” says Opher Doron, general manager of IAI's Space Division. The nano satellites optical payloads are smaller and the quality of their optical payloads is lower. ”But by using a temporal resolution method this problem is dealt with in a very effective way,” Doron claims. “This method is not directly related to the quality of the sensor but is based on the frequency of revisits over a site.“ The other problem with smaller satellites is color. “Resolution is, of course, very important but we also work on improving the color quality of the images, Doron said. “A good intelligence expert does not need color to extract, the needed intelligence from a satellite image, but when it comes to decision-makers, color is of great importance.” What underpins all this? It takes a ballistic missile 12 to 15 minutes to travel from Iran to Israel. The earlier a launch is detected and the earlier the trajectory of the missile can be plotted, the better the chances to intercept it far from its designated target. Today, low orbit Ofeq spy satellites visit “areas of interest” in wide intervals so their optical or radar payloads cannot keep a persistent watch. When it comes to the ballistic missile threat, this is a major problem. Israeli sources say that some 30 minutes are needed from the command to prepare a ballistic missile for launch until it is ready for launch, and this if the protection silos are well equipped. If the enemy is aware of the “visiting” time of the spy satellites over his territory this can be the perfect time to avoid detection of the preparations until the launch itself. Once launch occurs, Israel is supposed to get warnings from Lockheed Martin's Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS),the US constellation of geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellites. The U.S also deploys an X-band radar system in southern Israel to improve detection of ballistic missiles. This complements the layer supplied by the Green Pine radar, part of the Israeli Arrow missile interceptors. The first nano satellite was launched from India on the PSLV-C37 launcher with 103 other nano satellites. The plan to build and launch nano satellites first emerged a decade ago. A joint company of IAI and Rafael would undertake the mission. But that plan was deserted. Yizhak Ben Israel, chairman of the Israeli space agency, served in the Israeli air force and later was in charge of developing Israel's most advanced and classified military systems at the development directorate in the Defense Ministry. He notes that, although nanosats possess much less exquisite capabilities than SBIRS or other large satellites, “when you use a constellation of such satellites the combined capability can be very effective in missions like locating missile launchers.” The other advantage of nano satellites is their price: “You go from hundreds of million of dollars for a full size imaging satellite to some millions of dollars when it comes to a nano satellite.” Not directly related to the nano satellite program but part of Israel's space effort, IAI teamed with British start-up company Effective Space to make a fleet of special satellites weighing roughly 880 pounds that can refuel other satellites in space. IAI signed an agreement for technological and financial cooperation with the smaller company. While Effective Space is headquartered in London, its CEO, Arie Halsband, was general manager of IAI's space division before starting his own company. https://breakingdefense.com/2018/10/israel-plans-anti-missile-nano-satellite-constellation

Par Emmanuel Huberdeau La DGA a notifié une étude pour un système d'aide à la vision des pilotes d'hélicoptères en environnements dégradés qui sera intégré sur la version du NH90 destinée aux forces spéciales. La Direction Génerale de l'Armement (DGA) a annoncé l'attribution de cette étude le 3 octobre 2018. Elle concerne le concept de « caméra grand champ » développé par Safran sous l'appellation « Eurofl'eye ». Un système qui avait été présenté au dernier salon Eurosatory. Le système doit aider les pilotes à visualiser leur environnement dans des conditions de visibilité très dégradées. « Eurofl'eye » est composé d'une boule optronique et de quatre paires de capteurs. Le système sera intégré sur la variante du NH90 destiné aux forces spéciales. Cette version du NH90, dérivée du NH90 TTH Caïman Terre, comprend aussi l'intégration d'un boule gyrostabilisée de Safran et d'un affichage numérique pour le casque Topowl de Thales. Selon la DGA, des tests au sol puis sur les simulateurs et les hélicoptères banc d'essais de la DGA à Istres sont prévus. Le 4e Régiment d'Hélicoptères des Forces Spéciales (4eRHFS), futur utilisateur des appareils, sera impliqué dans toutes les étapes de qualification du système. La loi de programmation militaire 2019-2025 prévoit la commande de dix NH90 en variante « Forces Spéciales » dont six livrés d'ici 2025. Ces appareils devraient remplacer les H225M Caracal actuellement employés par le 4e RHFS et dont le transfert à l'armée de l'Air est évoqué depuis plusieurs années. http://www.air-cosmos.com/une-etude-pour-le-nh90-forces-speciales-115611

+ VIDEO - Airbus Defense a fait voler pour la première fois une escadrille de cinq drones associés à un avion, qui préfigurent le système de combat aérien du futur. Le long chantier du futur système de combat aérien européen est bel et bien lancé. Alors que la France et l'Allemagne ont confié, en avril dernier, à Airbus et Dassault Aviation la conception du programme SCAF , combinant un nouvel avion de combat et tous ses appendices, Airbus DS, la branche militaire du groupe aéronautique, vient de franchir une étape importante. Pour la première fois, Airbus est parvenu à faire voler ensemble et de... Article complet: https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/air-defense/0302346339244-airbus-teste-deja-des-briques-du-futur-systeme-de-combat-aerien-2210538.php

By: Jon Gambrell and Gerry Shih, The Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — High above Yemen's rebel-held city of Hodeida, a drone controlled by Emirati forces hovered as an SUV carrying a top Shiite Houthi rebel official turned onto a small street and stopped, waiting for another vehicle in its convoy to catch up. Seconds later, the SUV exploded in flames, killing Saleh al-Samad, a top political figure. The drone that fired that missile in April was not one of the many American aircraft that have been buzzing across the skies of Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. It was Chinese. Across the Middle East, countries locked out of purchasing U.S.-made drones due to rules over excessive civilian casualties are being wooed by Chinese arms dealers, who are world's main distributor of armed drones. "The Chinese product now doesn't lack technology, it only lacks market share," said Song Zhongping, a Chinese military analyst and former lecturer at the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force University of Engineering. "And the United States restricting its arms exports is precisely what gives China a great opportunity." The sales are helping expand Chinese influence across a region vital to American security interests. "It's a hedging strategy and the Chinese will look to benefit from that," said Douglas Barrie, an airpower specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "I think the Chinese are far less liable to be swayed by concerns over civilian casualties," he said. At the start of the year, a satellite passing over southern Saudi Arabia photographed U.S.-made surveillance drones at an airfield, alongside Chinese-manufactured armed ones. According to the Center for the Study of the Drone at New York's Bard College, that was the first documented example of the two drone systems being used in the war in Yemen. The country has emerged as a "sort of a testing ground for these strike-capable drones," said Dan Gettinger, the co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone. "There's a rapid turnaround from delivery to deployment." U.S. drones were first used in Yemen to kill suspected al-Qaida militants in 2002. One of the biggest Chinese exports is the Cai-Hong, or Rainbow, series made by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., or CASC, the largest contractor for the Chinese space program. CASC's CH-4 and CH-5 models are on a par with San Diego-based General Atomics' Predator and Reaper drones, and much cheaper. Independent analysts say the Chinese models lag behind their American counterparts but the technology is good enough to justify the price tag, which might be half or less. A CASC executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists, said cutting-edge U.S. models like Boeing Co.'s Stingray, introduced this year for the U.S. Navy, still hold a technological advantage. And while price is an advantage, so too is a more relaxed attitude toward how drones are used, said Ulrike Franke, an expert on drones and policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations Since 2014, China has sold more than 30 CH-4's to countries including Saudi Arabia and Iraq in deals worth over $700 million, according to CASC. Ten countries are currently in negotiations to purchase the CH-4, according to the firm. Last year, China sold to the UAE the Wing Loong II, an armed unmanned aerial vehicle roughly equivalent to the American MQ-9 Reaper. "In recent years, all types of drones have proven their value and importance through a high degree of use in warfare, and the military has noticed," said the top CASC executive. "Many countries are now speeding up the development for these weapons systems, including China." During President Xi Jinping's five years in power, China has stepped up spending on stealth fighters and aircraft carriers for its own military, while boosting sales of advanced equipment such as attack submarines to close allies like Pakistan. China still lags behind the U.S., Russia, France, and Germany in total arms sales but it's catching up. Chinese arms exports rose by 38 percent between 2008-12 and 2013-17, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks the global arms trade. Mounting criticism over the rising civilian death toll in Yemen prompted the U.S. to impose restrictions on drone sales, forcing foreign countries to go through the U.S. government to buy armed drones, including those with laser-guidance systems. The Washington-based New America Foundation estimates more than 240 drone strikes in Yemen have killed more than 1,300 people, including at least 111 civilians. But with China's drone sales booming, there's growing pressure from U.S. arms makers to remove restrictions to let them catch up. After some U.S. lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to loosen controls and let General Atomics sell its armed Reapers to Jordan and the UAE, the administration on April 19 permitted U.S. manufacturers to directly market and sell drones, including armed versions. The government must still approve and license the sales, which are also contingent on human rights and proliferation reviews and congressional authorization. General Atomics did not respond to a request for comment. China doesn't routinely announce arms sales like the U.S. and others, but a review of drone spottings gives some indication of who its customers are. In Iraq in October 2015, the country's then-defense minister inspected a CH-4 drone at an air base in the city of Kut. Chinese armed drones have been operating at Jordan's Zarqa Airport, at an air base in Pakistan and from bases in Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula and near its border with Libya, according to satellite photos analyzed by the Center for the Study of the Drone. Satellite photographs taken of a mysterious air base in the United Arab Emirates' deep south — a desert area known as the Empty Quarter — appear to show three Wing Loong IIs, IHS Jane's Defense Weekly reported in January. Two CH-4s were spotted by satellite alongside surveillance-only Predators purchased by the UAE at Jizan Regional Airport in southern Saudi Arabia, near the kingdom's border with Yemen, according to the Center for the Study of the Drone. Outside of the Mideast, Nigeria has used Chinese armed drones against the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. Shih reported from Beijing. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/10/03/chinese-armed-drones-now-flying-over-mideast-battlefields-heres-why-theyre-gaining-on-us-drones/